I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hardware components for telecommunication systems. More particularly, the invention is directed to a device for assisting in the installation of printed wiring boards onto protector panels of a building entrance protector (BEP) unit.
II. Description of the Related Art
Building entrance protectors are commonly used as an interface between communication lines from a central office and communication lines in an indoor environment, as for example in office buildings, apartment buildings, etc. The communication lines from a central office and from an indoor environment are connected to a protector panel contained in the BEP which has a plurality of flexible conductive pins arranged in rows and columns. In the past, communication lines have typically been attached to the pins by wire wrapping to provide the electrical connection between the pins and the communication lines. The process of wire wrapping is, however, time consuming and costly, thereby resulting in increased cost for equipment installation and requiring longer installation time.
As an alternative to wire wrapping, a printed wiring board (PWB) can be used to facilitate connection of terminal device equipment to protector panels. PWBs contain conductive leads or paths to direct electric signals to and from the protector panel. The leads terminate at holes or cavities which are arranged in a particular pattern to mask the configuration of the pins on the protector panel. The cavities are dimensioned to accommodate insertion of the pins therein to provide for electrical connection between the pins and the PWB. Once the pins are in place in the PWB cavities, solder can be applied to secure the pins in place and improve conductivity between the protector panel and the communication lines. A problem arises, however, in that normal handling of the protector panel causes the flexible pins to become bent or otherwise out-of-alignment with the rigid and fixed cavity locations on the PWBs. Thus, placement of the PWBs over the pins becomes a difficult, tedious and time consuming task.